East Sharpsburg, PA
How exposed is East Sharpsburg to wildfire?
East Sharpsburg sits at the 45th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 78 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks East Sharpsburg at the 43rd national percentile — 3 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
East Sharpsburg's building exposure, zone by zone
78 buildings are counted in East Sharpsburg, and 94.9% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 5.1% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
East Sharpsburg against the rest of the country
Compare East Sharpsburg's two percentiles: 73rd within Pennsylvania, only 45th nationally — a gap of 28 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, East Sharpsburg ranks 17,217 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,984 by building count (1 is largest). Within Pennsylvania alone, it ranks 539 of 1,991 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Pennsylvania on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 45th national percentile, East Sharpsburg rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in East Sharpsburg (94.9% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where East Sharpsburg's figures come from
East Sharpsburg's 45th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what East Sharpsburg's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.